The Pact
by getwriteonit
Summary: When they were young they made a promise neither of them had ever forgotten. Sometimes everything you were looking for has been right in front of you the whole time.
1. Chapter 1

Few people had experienced the amount of trauma that Betty Cooper had already endured as a teenager. What the Black Hood had put her through had left deeper scars on her than she'd let on. Other than Archie, no one in her life really knew what had happened that fateful night.

Maybe Dark Betty had always been a part of her, but after that night, the darkness had overwhelmed her. Maturity may have told her this was her reaction to trauma; that she needed to find someone to talk to. A healthy relationship with her mother would've found her a confidant, or at the very least a professional to talk to. Alice, however, would never have responded rationally if Betty had told her the details of that night. She'd have put her youngest daughter on house arrest permanently. After everything they'd gone through with Polly, Alice was just looking for a reason to micromanage Betty's life even more. So, Betty had sacrificed her sanity for her freedom. Some days, she regretted it.

She told herself she'd deal with all of this one day. In order to avoid that 'one day' being any day soon, she'd brought Chic into their lives. He served as a distraction for Alice, if nothing else.

She probably should've been sadder when Hal left. The final straw in the undoing of her perfect little nuclear family. Yet, she'd felt relief. Watching her parents increasingly loveless marriage fall apart had not been a fun ride. They were toxic on their own and even worse together. Having him out of the house was one less pair of eyes to worry about watching over her. How sad that her relationship with her parents had devolved to thinking about them in such ways. How equally sad that she was already so desensitized to it.

She sat there on her bed, math notebook open to notes she was meant to be studying for her upcoming chapter test, too wrapped up in other problems and worries to be concerned with something so trivial.

Things with Jughead were more complicated now than before. They'd slept together. She'd resist calling it 'made love' when the act had been committed on the dingy couch of his father's foreclosed trailer and hadn't necessarily been a moment born of love but one of desperation. She'd imagined what it would be like so many times; her first time with him, and it hadn't turned out like any of the ways she'd dreamed up. Neither of them had been in the right place or state of mind for something so intimate. Instead of making her feel closer to him, it had made her feel farther away.

The world Chic had shown her hadn't been quite the escape she'd been hoping for. Instead of giving her a place to channel her darkness, it had started to feel more overwhelming; more inescapable. This thought had brought her off her bed and over to her closet where she'd stowed the black bob cut wig and lingerie ensemble in an intricate hiding place where she knew her mother, queen of the snoops, would not think to look for anything incriminating.

She'd just reached her hand towards the lid when she felt the buzz of her phone vibrating in the back pocket of her jeans. She pulled it out, intending to hit ignore. However, she was surprised to see Archie's name flash on the screen and it was enough to tempt her into finding out what he had to say. So she swiped to reveal the message and upon reading it, she couldn't help but smile.

 **Pops?**

She didn't even give it a moment's hesitation to consider if Alice would be okay with it before typing her reply.

 _Always_

Tucking her secret stash back into it's hiding spot she changed quickly out of the floral sweater she'd been wearing into something a bit more casual, a simple pale yellow scoop-necked t-shirt and a cream colored cardigan before pulling her hair back into her signature ponytail. Her eyes darted to the text message window that had made a soft sound indicating a new message had come through.

 **I'll drive**

Grabbing her notebook from her bed she tossed it into her backpack and slung it over her shoulder for good measure. "Mom?" She called out mildly as she traipsed down the stairs, stopping by the door to slide her feet into pristinely clean white sneakers.

Alice rose from the couch and her face instantly affixed into a scowl at the sight of Betty obviously getting ready to head out. Before she had a chance to speak, Betty did. "Is it okay if I go study with Archie? We have a huge test in math tomorrow and somehow, explaining it to him actually helps me understand it better!"

Her mother eyed her suspiciously, her eyes scanning over Betty's outfit choice and backpack. She considered her daughter's appearance and then searched her eyes for an uncomfortable length of time before their exchange was interrupted by a light knock at the door.

Since the older woman was holding her in a staring contest, she didn't let her gaze falter but she silently hoped it wasn't Archie at that door because he was a horrible liar and one look at him, Alice would know she had zero intentions of studying.

The shorter woman broke their eye contact first, probably hoping the opposite of Betty, that it was Archie there to prove her daughter was hiding something. Instead, to both of their surprise, she pulled the door back to reveal a man in a serpent jacket.

"FP?" Both Cooper women said his name in confused unison and Alice looked from her daughter to her former lover seemingly conflicted about which avenue to explore.

"We need to talk." The male voice spoke, allowing the younger girl the perfect escape.

Betty knew she only had so many opportunities for a distraction such as this and she wasn't going to squander it. She could see Archie already sitting in the driver's seat of his truck from the angle of the open door. "Thanks mom!" She spoke definitively, definitively making up Alice's mind for her.

And before she could argue or protest, Betty pressed a sweet kiss to her cheek, threw a soft goodbye to Chic and a nod at FP and took her leave towards Archie's truck. The red head glanced down at her bag and gave her a confused expression before she rolled her eyes, "Had to tell mom we were studying for geometry." She noted, dropping the bag down on the floorboard as she clicked on her seatbelt.

He nodded in understanding and turned the key in the ignition, pulling out of the driveway and heading the familiar route to Pops. They drove for a couple minutes in silence before he realized he hadn't even greeted her. Slowing at a red light, he turned to look at her. She was facing the passenger window, her pupils focusing on some point off in the distance, obviously lost in some thought. "Hey." He said gently, drawing her attention from the slightly fogged window over to his face, which bore a soft smile for her.

"Hey yourself." She laughed gently, shifting her body towards him. "Sorry, I was lost in thoughts about vanilla milkshakes." She lied, hand reaching absently to fidget with the end of her ponytail. "How've you been?" Then, as if suddenly having a moment of realization, "Wait, why did you ask me to go to Pops?"

He smirked gently at her; surprised it had taken her this long to ask that question. It was one he didn't truly have an answer to, if he was being honest. He wasn't sure what had compelled him to send her that message. Well, he was, but it wasn't something he wanted to tell her yet. That reason was only part of it anyway. The other half was that she'd mentioned sitting in their both at Pops _with him_ had been her safe place and tonight, he was thinking that he could really use a safe place to escape to. He'd been studying her too long to say it was for no reason so he went with, "I've missed you," With a shrug, because it wasn't entirely false.

She could tell there was more to it than that, but she was satisfied with his response. "I've missed you too." She supplied gently and reached over, platonically, to squeeze his arm in gentle reassurance.

They shared a long look, one that spoke of many things left unsaid and he had half a mind to lean over towards the middle like they had that night in her car not long ago and reenact that kiss. But he stayed in his seat and shifted his gaze back to the road when the flow of the streetlight changed from red to green. That would just be asking for trouble, wouldn't it? There was too much left to be said first.

The ride to Pops was short and the silence was a comfortable, welcome one, a moment for each of them to collect their thoughts and bearings. Once they parked and preceded inside, they sat in _their_ place and, with each taking a sigh of genuine relief, they shared a soft smile.

By the time Pop Tate was sliding their usual orders in front of them, Betty was feeling almost like herself. She shook her head, leaning on her elbows as she took a long sip of creamy deliciousness. "How have you been?" She asked finally, breaking the serene placidness that had surrounded them previously.

He knew the little bubble they'd created for themselves wouldn't last forever but he was said to see it popped nonetheless. He thought for a moment and then responded with; "Weird." He frowned, leaning back against the back of the booth with a sigh and contemplated where to start. As his eyes found hers across the table, he found the words came more easily than expected, but then, Betty always possessed the ability to put him at ease and get the truth out of him. Propping himself on both elbows he leaned across the table towards her and a paraphrased version of his last two weeks came spilling out. From the FBI agent contacting him to find out there was no FBI agent in the first place, he told her every detail of his ordeal with the Lodge's and Hiram's pet project of 'taking him under his wing.'

By the time he finished explaining, his blonde best friend was reeling, ponytail bobbing in exasperation. "Okay wait you're telling me;" Betty leaned forward on her own elbows, closing the space between them even more as she dropped her voice. "The whole thing was fake and a test of your loyalty to them and their self-proclaimed empire?" She couldn't help the disgusted look that tugged at her lips. That was really twisted, even by the Lodge family standards.

"Pretty much," He sighed, dropping his hand down to play absently with his straw. Betty reached across the table, grabbing at his other hand, taking it into her own and offering him a gentle squeeze.

"Well, what did Veronica say when you told her?" Archie's eyes darkened and avoided hers. Shifting uncomfortably, he kept a hold of Betty's hand in his own. His avoidance of eye contact was rather telling and his female companion took a sharp, irritated breath, hoping he would not confirm her newly formed suspicions. "Please don't tell me she knew the entire time." But even if he'd tried to deny it, his face told the truth. _Bitch!_ She thought to herself. "At least tell me she didn't try to justify it…" The words were mostly a formality at this point; of course she had.

"She said it was the 'family way' and that I should feel honored that I meant enough to her that her parents tested me." His tone was equal parts anger and sadness. "She said if she didn't love me, it wouldn't happen, so I should take it as a compliment and show of loyalty." His voice was cut with equal parts bitterness and despair.

Betty clasped her hand not holding Archie's into a tight fist, letting her nails dig into her palm with growing anger. How dare Veronica. How dare the Lodge family. They had been nothing but poison to Riverdale since they'd moved back and especially since Hiram had been let out of prison. She bit down hard on her bottom lip, trying to decide how to respond. She didn't want her anger to get the best of her, especially not here. Here, in an establishment that had also been tainted by Lodge family blood money. She had some choice words about Veronica and her parents that were dying to come out and just as she opened her mouth to let them fly, Archie was talking again. "So I broke up with her." He said, voice a hoarse whisper as his eyes found hers again, she saw tears welling in them.

The anger eased its hold over her at that part of his confession. "Oh Arch," She said, the dark side of her slowly crawling back in as she released the harrowing grip of her fist, ignoring the redness and searing pain she'd left there in favor of moving to his side of the booth. With practiced ease she pulled him into a comforting hug, his face burying into the crook of her neck the same way he'd done it since he was a little boy.

The familiar scent of her was intoxicatingly calming. Her offering of peace brought him some instantly and the tears that threatened to fall stopped before actually coming to fruition. Before he could think or even stop himself, he turned his lips and instead of pressing them innocently to her cheek like he had so many times before, he pressed them to the side of her neck, much more intimately, and he couldn't help but smile against her skin as he felt goosebumps grow there.

Betty pulled away from him instantly, not because she wanted to stop his actions or give some sign she wasn't interested, it was quite the opposite actually. In the spirit of full disclosure and honesty she looked right into his eyes. "I slept with Jug," Speaking the words out loud was her final undoing and though she fought so hard to keep herself together and keep up the façade, she broke down.

He pulled her against him. He could tell by her reaction that it wasn't exactly a wonderful experience or memory. He'd never dare say the words but he could feel her regret. It enraged the overly protective side of him that had always placed her on such a high, pristine pedestal. As she grasped desperately at the soft fabric of his t-shirt, crying into it quietly, he struggled with his own conflicting emotions and thoughts.

Even though he'd turned her down, even though she and Jug had gotten very serious, he'd still never imagined her being with anyone who wasn't him either. Of course it was irrational and unfair. It wasn't that he didn't want her though, it was quite the contrary honestly, it was that he wanted her to have the best and he wasn't that. Not then, at least. Probably not yet, either. He pushed those thoughts down in favor of focusing on the present. "Tell me why you're crying, Bets." He whispered, his arm trailing up and down her spine in what he hoped was a soothing way.

She took a ragged breath, collecting herself. It was a few minutes before she actually spoke and she greatly appreciated that he hadn't rushed her. The truth was, the way he'd worded that question had thrown her off. It had made her think. _Why_ was she crying? A few reasons, really. She decided not to bother trying to craft the perfect journalistically worded version of the story and, much like he had, she let her words just come out. "It…wasn't what I was…" The words eluded her. "Not what I was, expecting." She took a breath. "Granted for a long time I expected it to be with…" Her eyes flicked to his briefly and said what she couldn't. She'd expected the same as he had. That at least her first time would have been with _him_. "I just…" She sighed and his soft, comforting eyes invited her to continue. "We just slept together. It wasn't making love. There was no… romance." Her eyes were sad. "I know it's stupid. It's just sex. I should really be more evolved than this, I'm a feminist—" His eyes darkened almost instantly and before she could even finish her tirade, he interrupted her.

"No, it isn't stupid. It was important to you. It should have been! And it should have been wonderful and romantic. Especially your first time. I am so sorry it wasn't." He looked at her and mentally scolded himself for not being able to stop himself from imaging what her first time could've been like if it had been with him. As his eyes drifted to her full, pouty lips, he couldn't help but feel a tightness in his chest, a lust for her he'd tried to deny since that insane night with the Black Hood.

He knew he shouldn't torture himself, but the question came any way. "How," He paused, it wasn't even his place to ask but fuck it he had to know. "How did it all happen?" Obviously he and Betty hadn't been the best at keeping in touch lately but last he knew, even since Jug had been back, they hadn't gotten back together. In fact, it seemed pretty evident that he and Toni had at least hooked up if they didn't have something actually going on. What had changed so suddenly?

Betty blinked slowly. Where to fucking begin with that loaded question? "Well," She sighed again and looked around. Pops didn't feel like the right place for divulging _all_ of the Cooper family dirty laundry. "I'll fill you in on the background later but it all started with the whole Pickens day thing. It sort of culminated in us kind of decompressing at his dad's trailer and I was about to leave and I…" She felt her eyes grow glassy again but she refused to cry again, even if they were the only current patrons and Pop had long since disappeared from sight. "I've just been so lonely," She admitted, mostly to herself. "I missed him." She swallowed hard and let another confession out, "I missed having someone." She felt terrible saying it out loud. Archie reached for her hand to reassure her there was no judgment there. "He told me he and Toni hooked up but that they hadn't had sex and that it meant nothing to him. He asked me if I'd been with anyone and I said of course I hadn't…" She trailed off, her eyes finding his. She couldn't believe she was even daring to speak these words out loud to him after all this time. "You and I never even talked about that night; sometimes I think maybe I just imagined that kiss because I've spent my whole life wanting one from you—" Her words threw him back and before he could stop and think about repercussions or meaning behind his next actions, his hands were reaching for her face and pulling it up towards his own.

His lips found hers like a magnet. Where there first kiss had been quick and reserved this one was anything but. His tongue moved to part her lips and once successful had begun to explore her own passionately, his other hand drawing her firmly against him. The kiss was deep and full of both love and pent up lust, not just over the weeks since their kiss, but from a lifetime.

As if suddenly becoming aware of the implications and complications of what he was doing, he broke the kiss, but didn't pull away from her at all. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" He whispered breathlessly. Before he could stop himself his lips pressed to hers once more, kissing her fully, in case it was the last time he got the chance. "I just wanted to—" He really wasn't sure there was anything he could say to justify his actions. "I wanted to show you, it _was_ real. You hadn't imagined it."

She'd been taken aback by the kiss, of course, but more so by the fact that she'd so readily and naturally kissed him back. It was so much better than the first time. Her heart clenched at his confession, even though she'd wished that kiss could have lasted forever; ending it was worth hearing those words. "Arch," She whispered, her eyes searching his, trying to find the will to resist letting her lips find his again. This was hardly the appropriate place for a make out session. "You don't have to be sorry for that, ever."

The truth was, he did have to be sorry. If he hadn't turned her down, he could've kissed her like that whenever he wanted. Now, he wasn't sure of the next time he'd get the chance. He had to shake those thoughts away right now. Pops wasn't the place for _that_ conversation and he wasn't so sure that fresh off a break up with Veronica and her losing her virginity to Jughead was the time to explore this avenue. He forced himself to redirect, "Finish telling me what happened."

"I guess I just thought that it was like a now or never situation in that moment. I wanted to feel… _something._ Anything; real. I thought if we lost it to each other it would feel special and all the love I felt for him would overwhelm all of the bad stuff, but-" She didn't need to finish; obviously it hadn't. "So we did _it_ on the couch in FP's trailer. It was supposed to be sweet and slow and romantic. Instead it was rushed, quick, and yeah it felt good, don't get me wrong, but it didn't feel the way it was supposed to. I don't know. It was very rushed and afterwards I felt sort of the way I wanted to feel from doing it in the first place, but that wore off really quick. I didn't even stay the night I just went home after. Then there was this whole other craziness going on there." She shook her head. "I wish we'd nev-" She was cut off by the buzz of her phone, which she'd placed on the tabletop. Alice's name flashed on the screen and she quickly unlocked it and answered.

Before she could voice a greeting she heard; "I thought you were studying?" Because why would you allow your daughter to say hello when she picked up or give her a greeting of your own?

"We are studying?" Betty said flatly, shifting away from Archie slightly, reaching for her backpack as if placing a hand on it granted some validity to her statement.

"Well you're not at Archie's." Alice bit, annoyance evident. "Care to explain?"

There was no use making up an elaborate lie. It was likely Alice knew she wasn't next door because she'd tracked her phone. "We were hungry so we decided to go to Pops and study there and grab some dessert." Her reply was simple and plausible enough.

Her mother seemed to agree, as there was a beat of silence before she responded. "Fine. Well, I have some things to take care of so I'm going out but you better be home by nine and you better believe I'll be checking the GPS on your phone." She said coldly.

Betty sighed but knew better than to push or test Alice, especially in her current flustered state. "Understood, mother. I'll be home at 9." And before the other woman could respond, Betty hung up. The clock flashed back on her screen, 8:36, they would have to head back sooner rather than later.

"If Alice is out and Hal is gone maybe I can come up and hang out with you for a little while?" Arch suggested, pulling his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans to throw some cash on the table for their milkshakes.

"I'd like that." She replied gently, a soft smile on her lips, rising from their spot to head towards his truck. He opened the door for her and before he could close it she stopped the door with her hand and her eyes found his. In spite of herself and the terrible timing she spoke up; "That kiss was-" She wasn't sure she had the words to explain but her eyes cast up towards his and she shrugged. They shared an understanding look and both smiled at one another.

"I know. Trust me, I know." He lingered there for a moment, each of them studying the other's lip debating if it was worth the risk to steal a kiss from them. The flash of another pair of headlights pulling in to parking lot made the decision for them, unfortunately. Reluctantly, he moved to the driver's side and got in, sitting down and starting up the truck, driving them home in relative silence once again.

As they pulled onto their street Betty spoke, though she didn't dare look at him, keep her eyes affixed on some point past the passenger window again. "Remember when we were kids and you asked me-"

"To marry me and you said wait until we're eighteen and ask you again?" He cut in and finished the sentence for her. Even with a vague start, he knew exactly what she'd be referring to as soon as she'd begun speaking. He decided to spare her further embarrassment, noticing her cheeks were already pink; he wouldn't make her ask the question that must've ben nagging at her mind. "Of course the pact stands."

He's said it with such assurance and such a lack of hesitation it had actually shocked her. They were only six houses from her own driveway but she couldn't be bothered to wait, she reached over to pull him in for a kiss. He had enough of his wits about him to slam the car into park before letting his lips devour hers with intense passion, hands roaming about her the best they could at such an awkward angle and position. The knowledge that her empty bedroom sat hundreds of feet away was the only thing that motivated him to pull away. "8:58." He muttered against her lips, switching back to drive and heading back to her driveway to avoid either of them being on the receiving end of Alice's wrath if Betty hadn't fulfilled her promise.

He wasn't sure if they should keep kissing. He'd only _just_ broken up with Veronica even if his feelings for her had become increasingly physical and less emotional since their original break up around Christmas. Regardless, he owed Betty more than to let her think this was just some rebound from that. "Do you still want me to come over? We can just talk or I can grab my guitar and play you-"

It was her turn to interrupt. "I want you to make love to me." She said, her voice serious, steady, and completely devoid of hesitation.

Needless to say, her words had taken him aback. "Betty…" He started, unsure of what exactly the appropriate response was in this scenario, he knew he needed to tread lightly.

She was so sure of this though, so sure she wasn't going to change her mind. "My first time was not what I wanted it to be. Let me have a redo. Give me this one time where I know for sure it is with someone who cares for me and respects me and-"

He didn't let her finish. Instead he answered her with his favorite form of nonverbal confirmation, a slow and purposeful kiss, broken only when she decided it was time for them to head upstairs. Only time would tell what would happen next.


	2. Chapter 2

Her request was a loaded one and even though he'd kissed her; even though he'd gotten out of the car, walked to her side and slid his hand into hers before following her to the door, he wasn't sure if it was the right decision. Nevertheless, he'd followed her to the door wordlessly. He was too curious, too invested, to not see how this would all play out.

As Betty stepped up to the door she silently cursed herself. Hal hadn't been back since she herself had told him to leave and Alice had confirmed her own absence via text, but the youngest Cooper had forgotten one small detail. Chic, thanks to her, was inside. It didn't exactly feel like the right time for some grand introduction between him and Archie so she turned around before whispering to her ginger companion, "Take off your shoes and carry them upstairs. We have to be quiet." He nodded in silent understanding and did as she'd said, taking off his shoes as not to leave any traces behind that might rouse the suspicions of the family matriarch. Sliding her key into the lock she turned it as slowly as possible, willing the mechanism to stay quiet in her favor.

Once inside, she placed her keys onto their assigned hook by the door and slid off her sneakers, returning them to their rightful place in Alice's meticulous order. She moved quietly to check for Chic in the living room and finding it empty, she motioned Archie in after her.

Locking the door behind them, she tugged at his hand once more, pulling him towards the familiar route they'd taken so many times over the years up to her room. Somehow, though, this time felt incredibly different.

She motioned for him to go inside her bedroom before going up to Polly's, well she supposed she should really call it Chic's now, door and knocking lightly to let him know she was home. When no response came, she tried the knob and noticed it wasn't locked. Turning it gently, she pushed the door open a sliver, peering in to announce she was home. Immediately, however, she noticed the fully made bed and complete absence of her brother. Odd, she thought to herself, heading back towards her own room, pulling her phone out. She stopped in the entranceway, leaning against the doorframe.

Opening her mother's text window, she drafted a short message.

 _Home. No Chic?_

She knew that, with all the events that had taken place in the last few days, she had to divulge this sort of thing to Alice, even if it meant she'd be on her way home in an instant and cut Betty's plans with Archie short before they'd even started. Her phone dinged with a response with surprising speed, however, indicating that wouldn't be the case.

 _ **Chic's with me.**_

Then, moments later, another messaged popped up.

 _ **Lock the door. We'll be home late.**_

Relief flooded in with her mother's response. She should probably have been more worried about the fact that, when she'd left, FP had a rather unreadable look on his face that seemed to indicate at least some level of urgency. That, coupled with the absence of her mother and brother and the whole dead guy they'd recently disposed of? She should be extraordinarily worried, really. She should be calling her mom and seeing what she could do to help. But, not this time.

Instead, she was just happy for the reprieve, seemingly carved out at the perfect time. It appeared that the stars were aligning for this whole plan of hers and it only served to make her feel more sure of herself and this decision. "It appears we are here alone." She said, clearing her throat as she spoke, keenly aware of any implications that could be taken from those words. Her eyes found his, where he sat on the edge of her bed, giving him a look that seemed to imply 'do with that information what you will.'

He reached for her wordlessly, beckoning her closer, because even if he wasn't sure about anything else right now, he knew he didn't want her so far away. She closed the door behind her and walked over, sitting next to him on the bed, casting a nervous look in his direction. "I want to." He began, after a moment of tension. "I want you, but;"

Her features became immediately crestfallen at the mention of the word 'but' and he shook his head, his hands reaching to cup her face, hoping to quell her fears before they rose to the surface. "No, don't get upset, just listen to me." He couldn't help himself; he kissed her gently, took a deep breath, and then leaned back so he could look into her eyes before he continued. "I have to be sure this is what you really want, because if this ever became something you regretted, well I'd never forgive myself." His thumb brushed over her bottom lip softly, in spite of his words. "You are the most important person to me in this entire world. You always have been. I know I have been terrible at showing it lately and there really is no excuse but-"

"You have had a lot going on. And it's not like I'm winning any best friend of the year awards, myself. We both have sort of failed in that department lately. I know what you mean though. That's exactly how I feel about you." She scooted closer to him, so that instead of just their knees touching, her thigh pressed against his. Then, with a sardonic laugh, she added; "I guess that was the feeling I was confusing with being in love with you."

In spite of the fact that there was no humor in the situation whatsoever, he seemed to find it just as she had, his tone matching hers. "Funny. I think I just realized that means I'm _still_ in love with you, too." But then, her eyes found his very seriously.

"Arch," Her voice was wary and breathy, her eyes watery. He persisted though, despite her cautioning tone. His seemingly misplaced use of the word 'still' had her undoubtedly intrigued and hoping for more of an explanation.

"My timing is awful, I'll admit it. I realized it the night we kissed; that I'd always been in love with you. But I also know that I don't deserve you. I am not a good guy Betty, not in the way you think I am. And I used to think that you loved this _idea_ of me the way that I had always loved this _idea_ of you. But everything that happened with the Black Hood, it made me see _you_. Not the idea of you I had built up in my head over the years. The _real_ you, the good and bad parts and fuck, I loved every part of what I saw. And we kissed in the car and I knew, Betty. It's why I didn't hesitate to get into that coffin so he wouldn't shoot you because there as no way I wanted to exist in a world without you." His eyes searched hers; trying to make sure she was hearing all of this.

Betty should've been swooning over his words and on some level she was, honestly. It was so much of what she'd _always_ wanted to hear him say. Yet, his confession also made her angry. Her eyes were brimming with tears now, but she took a ragged breath, refusing to let them fall. "Then why did you get back with Veronica so quickly?" Of all the millions of things she could have chosen to say in response to his heartfelt confession and she'd gone with that? That information was certainly prudent to their current situation, though, he couldn't argue with that.

He broke eye contact with her then and rose from the bed. It seemed harder to say the words when she was so close, so soft and tender, so understanding. "I didn't want to love you Betty." He admitted, knowing those words would bring her pain. So he added further explanation before she crumbled completely. "I will never deserve you. I've tried to push you away and shelve how I feel about you but I am so tired of fighting it. That's why I'm afraid of crossing this line because I know that there's no going back if we do, Bets. It's never going to be a one-time thing. You're it for me. It's going to make me more in love with you than I already am and I won't be able to ignore those feelings and I'll give in to them and you just—I know you hate that I think you're perfect. But you are Betty; you always have been to me. I've always wanted to deserve you; I just don't think I ever will." They each took a sharp breath and her hands found his, gripping them with great need. He focused his response on her actual question again, "I got back with Veronica because it was the easiest way to hide how I feel about you. It was familiar and seemed safe enough. Selfish, I know." His confession was earnestly poetic for someone his age, but maybe it was the song writing that had shaped his ability to finally put his feelings for her into words.

Most of her anger seemed to dissipate with that profession of truth. It had caught her off guard that was for sure. But it was raw and honest and real. "I think you should let me decide what I deserve, Arch." She said finally, after a beat of silence that hung between them like a curtain. Then, she'd risen to stand in front of him. She placed a comforting hand on his cheek and looked at him carefully. She understood where he was coming from; even if she didn't agree. He was doing what he thought was best for her, just like he always had. But why was it so hard for him to see that being together could actually be what was best for _both_ of them? "You think you'd hurt me if we were together but can't you see how much it hurts me with you keeping us apart? So if I'm hurt either way, why can't we just try, just this once."

"We both know it won't be once." He said sternly, but his features remained soft as he explained, "We feel strongly about each other. We're next-door neighbors. The list of reasons and factors goes on and on. If we do this we have to accept what that entails. How many other people it involves. Who all it hurts." There it was, that sweet, soft heart of his, always worrying about everyone else. Betty nodded thoughtfully, he was right after all.

But then, reconsidering, she shook her head emphatically no instead. Her words were more daring then either of them may have expected and perhaps they took her off guard just as much as they would him. "Or, we just say fuck those people and worry about our own happiness for a change?"

It was true; they both had a habit of putting everyone else and their feelings above their own. It took only one split second for him to hop on board and in the next, his lips were meeting hers, kissing her fervently, his arms wrapping around her, drawing her to him. "Okay." He whispered after awhile, breathless, but still hungry for more.

She smiled against his lips, "Does that mean we're going to…" She trailed off, letting her fingers rest against his strong chest as he held her there against him.

He paused for a moment, knowing what he said would disappoint her, at least at first. "No," He whispered, but contrary to that statement, he moved his lips to her neck, kissing and sucking there gently. Suffice to say, his head and heart were not in agreement on this one. "Not yet." He leaned back, albeit reluctantly, to look at her. "I want to take things slow. Do this right." He kissed her forehead gingerly. "You said you wanted it to be special, is this really special enough?" He motioned around her room; a place that held so many of their most precious childhood memories. Sure anything would be a step up from the couch in a dilapidated trailer, but still, he wasn't sure this was right either.

"It's special because it's with _you_." She reminded him, tugging her hair out of the ponytail that kept it back, letting it fall to softly frame her face. "It's the feelings I care about, not the location." Fair enough.

"Shouldn't I take you on a date first?" He asked, though his hands seemed to betray him as they moved up to her shoulders, peeling away the cream colored cardigan that hid her from him.

"You paid for my milkshake, that counts enough." She smiled gently, her hand coming to rest on his waist as she took a step closer to him, leaning up as if to kiss him but she was waylaid by him speaking again.

"What if your mom comes home?"

Betty frowned and let out a frustrated sigh, pushing slightly away from him, though it was a halfhearted attempt to do so, "It sounds like you're trying to get out of this, Arch."

His initial response was to kiss her passionately, show her that getting out of this was the last thing he wanted, that he was merely trying to present her with a variety of outs she could take, mostly because he was pretty sure once they passed a point of no return, he'd be unable to control his want for her. "I'm just making sure you're sure, Bets. Promise." He tugged his own t-shirt over his head, revealing rippled abs she was still getting used to the idea of. "If you want me to stop at any time just say so, no matter what."

She nodded, but stayed quiet. Her hands came up to his ripped chest and trailed down over washboard abs appreciatively, if not shyly. As comfortable as she was around him, seeing him in this way was still so new. "You are so beautiful, Arch." She observed out loud, a soft blush tinting both of their cheeks at her honest confession.

"I'm not sure anyone's ever called me that," He smirked gently, leaning down to capture her lips again in a heated kiss. Now that they weren't sitting awkwardly in his truck, he could let his hands explore her in the way they had so desperately wanted to before. His hands snaked innocently up her back, drawing her closer before they dared to explore more intimate, forbidden areas. He stopped at the hem of her shirt, as if asking for permission to slide his hands underneath and she answered by removing it completely, letting it fall in a heap on the floor next to his.

As this wasn't a planned event, she wasn't wearing any fancy lingerie set, just plain white cotton pieces that didn't even match, yet she couldn't have looked sexier to him. "Now that is beautiful," He whispered, taking a moment to observe parts of her he swore had _never_ looked like that in the bathing suits she'd worn. Her jeans came next, then his, and soon enough they were on her bed, bodies tangled together and lips exploring each other hungrily.

"Oh, Arch…" The way she said his name came out like a moan and ignited an almost carnal need inside of him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, stopping the trail of kisses he'd been pressing down her stomach to look up at her briefly.

"I _need_ you," She said, with an urgency she didn't even know she had and in mere seconds, their last articles of clothing became forgotten memories as well. His eyes scanned over her, making her feel vulnerable. She moved to cover herself haphazardly with her hands but he stopped her, raking his fingers over creamy, soft skin, urging her to reveal herself to him.

"Let me see you," His voice was so gentle it made goosebumps form on her skin but she did as she was asked and dropped her hands back to her sides, exposing herself completely. With great care and delicacy, his mouth explored the regions of her he'd never been privy to, smiling softly to himself when his discoveries yielded a soft moan or whimper. After letting his hands and lips enjoy their own adventures, he returned to hover over her, looking down into her eyes. "You are everything to me," He whispered intensely.

"Show me." She begged softly, reaching her hand to the back of his neck, kissing him deeply, and arching up against him wantonly.

Faltering only to stop for the obtainment of protection, he was just as soon back over her, eyes studying hers carefully for any sign of hesitation before kissing her deeply, thrusting into her to create an ardent connection. His movements were slow and purposeful, easing in to her gently, biting down on his lip as her soft moans undid him.

Though he was certainly more experienced than she, he was hardly an expert. Yet, he seemed to know much more about what he was doing than her first partner had and her body tingled with each thrust and kiss. "Does this feel alright?" His voice was husky and broken as he spoke against her skin. Alright? It was beyond alright. It was amazing. Mind numbing. It was robbing her of her ability to formulate complete thoughts, if she was being honest.

Given that fact she went with a simple, "God, yes." muttering against his lips, which she'd just found again, hiking her leg higher on his waist, finding an irrepressible need to be closer to him. They soon fell into a rhythm of roaming hands and lips, bodies rocking and writhing together with great passion, as if they'd done this a million times before. He was quite certain that, in any case, he'd need to do it a million more times in the future.

Everything made sense with her. There was no guessing which way to move or where to put what so that it felt good. There was no awkwardness; just passionate, magnetic connection. He was quite positive they were made for each other, the way they fit together like this. Her legs quaked with building pleasure, as her eyes found his, the intensity there almost jarring. Then, came the faintest of whispers from his lips before they were hovering over hers again, "I've _always_ loved you, beautiful."

"Arch I—" His lips found hers as her body trembled against his, finding a release she had never known. Toes curled, fingers gripping the sheets, she felt the apex of pleasure coursing through her.

He wouldn't have lasted much longer anyway but as she came down from her own orgasmic release she'd _moaned_ the words, "I love you so much," And it had been the final straw in his own gratifying ruination. He found passionate respite before collapsing against her, rolling onto his side, and pulling her against him again.

It was everything she'd imagined and more. He'd been so careful yet so forceful, so tender yet so passionate. She had never felt like that in her life and it wasn't simply the physical climax she was referring to. She'd felt whole. She'd felt seen. She'd felt loved.

As had he. Sure, he was far more sexually experienced than she was and more so than most people their age. There were points in his relationships with all his past sexual partners that he'd _thought_ he'd made love to them but none of those experiences had been even a fraction of the incredibly intense and impassioned one he'd just shared with his best friend. With, he was finally willing to admit to himself, the love of his life. For so long, he'd ached to feel this sort of satisfaction and belonging; yet he'd been the one to keep it from both of them. His own feelings of self doubt had kept them apart for too long, he'd stand in their way no more.

He realized that his fingers had taken to tracing patterns against her skin, much like the way he strummed his guitar. He pulled back slightly so he could look at her and, feeling his gaze on her, her eyes fluttered open. "How do you feel?" He asked softly, staring lovingly down at her.

"Incredible," She admitted honestly, "Complete." She jutted her chin up so her lips were more readily available and he gratified her with a kiss. Painfully slow and full of passion, it threatened to ignite round two. She wanted to add 'in love' to her short list of how she currently felt but she was afraid he'd think it was just the high of her orgasm making her speak that way.

"Me too," He grinned, breaking the kiss and then he pulled away to look seriously at her. "I've never made love like that." And he didn't need to tack on some promise of that being the truth because one look in his eyes and there was no doubt left for her.

"I wish you could stay with me tonight." Sadness coated her words and she cuddled a little closer to him.

"I could." He mused back, truth be told, he'd already been formulating a plan for how to make that happen.

"I like you too much to let my mother murder you, Arch." A tasteless joke that hit a little too close to home after the events that had happened earlier that week. "You do remember the Alice Cooper that lives here, right?" She teased gently, pressing a kiss to his bare chest.

He laughed gently, "Yes, I'm aware of that slight obstacle, but I was already coming up with a plan for that." He clarified, tucking some of her hair back behind her ear. "Disappointingly, we'd need to put on more clothes. But, we put some school stuff on the bed, make it look like I was keeping you company waiting for her to get home, and we fell asleep studying." He let his hand trail down towards her breasts again, mostly because he _could_ and flashed her a devious smile. "I'll text my dad and let him know I'm staying on your couch since your mom is out." He grinned, rather satisfied with his carefully thought out scheme.

He really had thought of an entirely plausible and acceptable way for this to happen, though she still had some reservations, she decided to throw caution to the wind; she wasn't ready for this moment to end. "I like everything except the part where you put your clothes back on," She pouted playfully.

"Trust me, I hate that part more than you." He said, leaning back to take in her naked body appreciatively before it was covered up again.

"Arch, stop, you're embarrassing me!" Her faced turned a deep crimson, she'd never been looked at like that and such lust wasn't something she was used to seeing; in his eyes especially.

"Sorry, sorry. You're just so gorgeous like this, all uninhibited. I had to memorize how you looked." His lips traveled to each of her breasts, pressing soft longing kisses there. "Okay, I'm done now, I promise." He kissed her gently and moved to rise from the bed and collect his clothes.

"Wait," She said, stopping him once he was standing there, stark naked, in front of her. "My turn to memorize." She let her eyes wander over his nude form in languorous appreciation. She rose from the bed to join him, standing in front of him in the same state of undress, kissing him slowly.

Somehow, he managed to make re-clothing each other romantic. So romantic they'd almost immediately lost their clothes again, but thinking better of it, they'd maintained some self-control. In order to help sustain that restraint, she'd decided to create some space between them. She disappeared down the hall to dispose of any incriminating evidence of their less than innocent foray and returned carrying an extra blanket to find that Archie had set to work staging her notebook and textbook on the end of the bed. He lay there, waiting for her to join him. "I texted my dad and he's all good so, we're in the clear." He gave her a gentle smile, pleased with his accomplishments in her brief absence.

She could've left well enough alone. Let them enjoy that incredible experience for what it was and not risk complicating things by trying to have some big talk. But, it was just her way to talk things out and she couldn't stop herself if she'd tried. "What does it mean?" She asked, sitting down on the bed. "I mean, it doesn't have to mean anything but—" He gave her a dumbfounded look that stopped her sentence short.

"Of course that meant something. It meant everything." He patted the empty spot next to him for her to sit down and join him on the bed. She indulged him, leaning into his side as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I'm not sure what it means, but here is what I do know. I couldn't be with anyone else even if I wanted to now. I've always loved you, but obviously I'm also in love with you. I'm yours. Quite frankly, that's the only thing I need to know."

 _I'm yours_. It was such a simple statement, really. Only two words in length, yet so loaded with implication and weight. She was his, always had been, since long before their intimate night together. She didn't want to deal with the judgments and opinions of others, not yet. This was their own little slice of heaven carved out amongst all the craziness and chaos of the last year and she wasn't about to let anyone ruin it. "I've always been yours, Arch."

"I'll never take that for granted again." He pledged, sealing his promise with a kiss. It deepened almost instantly and soon his hands were roaming up under her shirt, begging to touch sensitive skin there again.

"Arch," She warned, though her attempt to really stop him was feeble at best.

"I know, I'm sorry. I'll behave." He groaned into the hair pooling at her neck. It was hard to let go of his newfound freedom to touch her like this.

"Here, maybe this will help?" She said, turning her back to him and then snuggling back against his chest. He placed his hand on the supple curve of her hip, kissing her neck softly.

"This position does nothing to make you less desirable." He noted, brushing his thumb over the skin exposed by the slight rise of her shirt. His words elicited a soft giggle from her and she nestled against him just that much more.

Truthfully, he was exhausted. They both were. And not from the physically exerting activity they'd just engaged in. Mentally, physically, and emotionally; they'd both been running on E for a long time. It wasn't long before her breath had evened out and knowing she'd found peaceful sleep, he'd finally allowed himself the same.

That was how Alice had found them two hours later when she'd returned home with Chic. Her gut reaction was to raise absolute hell over a boy being in her daughter's room but the door had been open and the math materials on the bed made it look innocent enough. As she'd walked further into the room, she couldn't help but smile as she observed their sleeping forms. She'd found them in similar positions on this bed many times before; usually the result of tiring each other out playing outside all summer, or after one of their famous movie nights when Betty would pick obscure subtitled foreign films that went over both of their heads, but she'd always pretended to understand. It was what inspired the older woman to leave them there, undisturbed, rather than waking them up to read them the riot act. Betty had been through a lot lately and for the first time in awhile, she looked at peace. Even Alice wasn't enough of a monster to steal that from her.

Dawn came far to soon for either of their likings, but it followed the first night of restful sleep each of them had had in awhile, so they couldn't complain too much. It was Archie who had woken first and it took him a moment to process that he wasn't in his room and that he had Betty wrapped in his arms before he fully remembered or comprehended all of the events of last night. He felt instantly flooded with a satisfied happiness, absolutely sure he was exactly where he was supposed to be right now. He was almost afraid to wake her up in fear that she wouldn't reciprocate his lack of remorse and that all his joy would be ruined. Yet, being that he had a pretty good inkling that wouldn't be the case, he'd taken the chance. He pressed his lips lightly to her neck, "Wake up, beautiful." He whispered softly against her skin.

Her eyes fluttered open slowly and seeing his face hovering over her own she had to rub her eyes and blink a few times before she was convinced she was even really awake. She'd had too many dreams that started exactly like this to trust it was real. "Arch?" Her brows knit together quizzically and as his lips came down to meet hers, she found that this was all _very_ real. The kiss was brief, but meaningful.

"Good morning." He murmured sleepily, "This is in fact real life. I checked before I woke you up." His voice was teasing, but not at her expense and she quite enjoyed that he seemed to read her mind with that statement.

"Good morning, lover." Whilst her voice remained quiet as the door was still open, her smirk grew and she moved to kiss him again, this time more deeply. Again, things could very quickly evolved from there, but it was him this time who showed restraint.

"I want to, so bad." He groaned, into her mouth. "But I definitely heard your mom come home sometime in the night and I have no shame in admitting my fear of her is incredibly real." They shared a smile over his whispered words. Then, his grin faltered. "I should go soon and change for school." With those words came the stark realization that their bubble would officially burst when they made their way to Riverdale High. There would be no soft kisses and holding hands, no whispered confessions of love. Only stolen glances and sneaking around, if they dared be that brave yet. The thought made him sad and sensing the change in his demeanor, a frown tugged at her lips as well.

"What is it?" She asked, her hand coming to tangle in his hair.

"Everything between us is so simple and effortless. Nothing else is like that in my life, you know? I just realized that I'm not allowed to act this with you at school and it kind of pisses me off."

"Not allowed? Says who?" She challenged, but then her own false confidence vacillated and she sighed in agreement. "You're right," She admitted, dejectedly. "If we were assholes, we wouldn't really care how it made them feel." She said, shifting to a sitting position.

"Too bad we aren't assholes." He lamented, kissing her gently. "We will keep this between us for a little while, just out of respect for Veronica and Jug, okay? But how many times have we been accused of wanting each other anyway? They're expecting it. So, we'll give it some time and then we ease them into it." He suggested and she nodded in agreement because it was reasonable enough. He felt compelled to add, "Easier said then done on the keeping my hands to myself portion of this though."

"You only want me for my body?" She teased, rolling her eyes. It was meant to be an innocent joke because she knew that wasn't true. Yet, his eyes had darkened nonetheless and he gave a very serious reply.

"Not at all!" Came his stern protest. Her lips captured his in a show of surrender. Of course she knew that wasn't why he wanted her. She'd never even given that thought actual credence; it was so far from true. He knew this, of course, yet he still added; "I want all of you."

Her alarm sounding brought an official end to their moment, startling them both. He rose from the bed first and she followed quickly after shutting off the offending noisemaker. "I should get going," He sighed, pulling her in for a hug, pressing a kiss to her forehead.

Even though seeing him go was the last thing she wanted, she nodded at him, agreeing. "Walk me to school?" She asked, letting go of him and heading to her own closet to pick out what to wear for the day.

Just as she had in reply when he'd asked if she'd go to Pops the night before, he replied; "Always." Then, before leaving her room, he came up behind her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "I love you," He reminded her quietly, his lips right next to her ear. It made her knees weak and just as she'd turned to reply, he was walking away.

"Arch!" She called, her voice rising in desperation, as if he might not know it if she didn't tell him right now. He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her. "I love you too." She said softly, crossing the short distance he'd just created between them to press a chaste kiss to his lips before finally letting him leave.


End file.
